On Dec. 27, the executive committee of the Arab Central Orthodox
Council in Palestine and Jordan began a campaign against the patriarch,
coinciding with his participation in Christmas celebrations. A number of protesters raised banners that read “unworthy” during sit-ins and marches organized in Bethlehem on Jan. 6 and posted “Theophilos is unworthy” on social networking sites.

Protesting Arab Orthodox youths in Jordan and Palestine issued a Dec. 16 statement describing the decision as “uncanonical and taken by an unqualified synod,”
adding, “Theophilos is not the legitimate patriarch of the Church of
Jerusalem. He is unworthy of trust and neither he nor his synod
represents us or represents the Arab Orthodox flock in Jordan and
Palestine.”

The patriarch's leasing of 71 dunums
(16 acres) of land belonging to the Saint Elias Monastery south of
Jerusalem to an Israeli company raised the ire of the Orthodox community
in Palestine when the deal became public in 2009. In a press conference
attended by Al-Monitor on Jan. 5, Central Orthodox Council member Uday
Bajali described the move as serving the settlers’ interests, saying,
“This deal will besiege the village of Beit Safafa
and will allow the expansion of settlements in Jabal Abu Ghneim, Gilo,
Givat Hamatos and Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.” Bajali accused the patriarch of
“colluding with Israel to divert lands without any oversight,” adding,
“Unworthy is he who sells property to Israel, does not serve his flock
and contributes to displacing our youths.”

But Hanna Omeira, the head of the Presidential Higher Committee for
Church Affairs, told Al-Monitor, “As per legal procedures, the
[Palestinian] Authority is keeping abreast of news about the diversion
of land in Jaffa Gate and the areas around St. Elias. The latest row
against the patriarch was caused by his decision to dismiss Father
Christophoros; a decision that we asked the church not to implement,
while bolstering coordination with the Jordanian government to study and
find solutions to all contentious issues.”

According to organizers, the Orthodox movement aims to fulfill their
fathers’ battle to rid the patriarchate of “Greek occupation.”

An official from the Central Orthodox Council who wished to remain
anonymous told Al-Monitor, “The movement in Palestine and Jordan aims to
ultimately and completely restore the Orthodox Church
to Arab control, following Greek hegemony thereon since 1534. We must
put an end to the racism practiced by the patriarchate against Arabs
since the former was taken over by the Greeks 500 years ago, and reform
it in a manner that guarantees Arab participation in the management of
its affairs and the decision-making process therein.”

According to the Central Orthodox Council, Greek monk Germanos, who
headed the patriarchate after the Greek takeover of the latter in 1543,
in the 47 years of his rule dismissed all Arab monks from the
patriarchate in collaboration with the political authorities involving
bribery.

Alif Sabbagh, a member of the Central Orthodox Council in Israel,
told Al-Monitor, “The Orthodox movement is methodical and based on a
specific future outlook, as part of a long-term strategic plan to reform
the Orthodox Church and restore its Arab flock’s right to manage its
affairs.”

Asked about the next steps, Sabbagh said, “In the coming period, we
will be forced to resort to Israeli courts and submit a complaint
against the patriarchate, particularly after Jordanian authorities
forsook their responsibilities. We will also intensify field work to
expose the patriarch’s transgressions.”

Sabbagh did not rule out resorting to international courts and
institutions, saying, “We might adopt a long-term approach predicated on
resorting to international courts and institutions. But prior to that,
we must exhaust all local avenues.”

Omeira affirmed that the Palestinian Authority (PA) stood against the
Arabization of the church, since this issue is tied to national
independence, although it supported demands for the appointment of Arab
clergy to senior church positions. He noted, “The PA is against any
schisms occurring within the Orthodox Patriarchate and is working on
opening channels of dialogue between the church and its opponents, aimed
at reaching solutions amenable to all.”

Hanna Issa, a professor of international law at Al-Quds University,
attributed the rejection of Arabization to Israel’s classification of
Palestinian territories as “disputed territories,” which would encourage
it to seize church lands if they were Arabized and cleared of their
Greek inhabitants.

The Central Orthodox Council is asking the Palestinian and Jordanian
leadership to put an end to the hegemony of Greek monks over the
patriarchate and proactively work toward adopting the ongoing movement’s
stance against the Greek Patriarchate in order to reform it.

Sabbagh said, “Those who are surreptitiously giving land to the
Israelis must not have the support of any political, national or
individual authority.”

Sabbagh added that the Palestinian and Jordanian authorities were
capable of restoring Arab control over the Orthodox Church, as, by
virtue of the 1958 law, any appointed patriarch must be issued a
Jordanian passport, though the Jordanian authorities can withhold and
revoke his citizenship. He affirmed that the Palestinian political
leadership played an important role in backing the patriarch against
Arab church members. He added that the PA was cooperating with the
patriarch against its Arab congregation.

But Omeira denied these assertions and said that the PA was seeking
to bridge the chasm through dialogue. He added that the church did not
submit reports to the PA pertaining to its actions, but that there was
an agreement by which the church “shall not take steps toward the
leasing of land within the borders of the state of Palestine.”

The prevailing signs seem to indicate that voices of dissent inside
the Orthodox Church will only grow louder as long as the Greek
Patriarchate refuses to listen to their demands. In the meantime,
protesters will continue to call Theophilus “unworthy” until he is
removed from office.